Forever Changed
by FireflyLake
Summary: Everyone knew about their casual flirting and arguments, but no one knew about their late nights alone and how they actually got along quite well. It was never supposed to turn into anything more than just playful talk. Neither of them had actually planned on becoming close or tied down. After a night of pure passion and brandy everything changes. M for Lemon. [REBOOTED]
1. Waking Up

It was quiet in the house except for the tv on in the living room. A half eaten bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table next to some takeout and an empty bottle of brandy. All about the house clothes were scattered on floors and trailed to the bedroom. In the mess of pillows and sheets stirred a white bat. As she woke up she stretched and laid comfortably in bed until she felt cold air near her lower region. She shot up and looked to her side to confirm her suspicions.

 **Oh. Shit.** Those were the only words she could think of when she looked over. Next to her in bed was Knuckles the echidna. Looking down she noted that they were both naked and smelled of alcohol. **No no no no no... NO!** Sure they have cuddled and got drunk together before and maybe even kissed at one point or another, but never did they dare have sex. This was one line neither of them had ever dared to cross and yet, they did.

Knuckles tossed and turned, still asleep. He rolled over her bra and after that didn't move. It was like he was trying to make it harder for her to leave even though he still had yet to find out about the situation they got themselves into.

After a few nervous moments of trying not to wake him and avoid the awkwardness she silently crept out of his bed and began the search for the rest of her clothes. As she made her way to the living room where they were supposed to be having their usual Friday movie night she cursed the empty bottle of brandy. She never should have had that stupid bottle. A mere few hours had passed after she just got out of a relationship with Espio. To top it off she had half a bottle of wine on her way there so she could be in somewhat of a cheerful mood. **Damnit. I can't believe I was that stupid!** "Shit. I gotta get outta here before he wakes up." Quickly dressing she looked back feeling guilty, but shook it off and flew out the door.

* * *

By the time Knuckles woke up Rouge had already left. At first he thought nothing of it until he found her bra under his side of the blanket when he was cleaning things up. His phone started vibrating on his nightstand, distracting him from the reality of what happened. When he opened it up he found at least fifteen messages from a very flustered Rouge apologizing profusely for leaving. Knuckles had no idea what to do. After reading her messages it finally hit him.

Their relationship as friends will never be the same.

* * *

 ** _Hey guys it's been a while! So I'm doing a sort of -REBOOT- for this story. I never finished it and I didn't like the turn it took. I left off in an awful place so I'm going back, fixing it up, adding details, changing things and overall, I hope, making it better. Let me know what you guys think. Do you like it this way? The other way? About the same? And would you like me to keep going? I mean I probably will as I feel I owe it to myself and the story to finish what I've started anyways... but still. Your opinions do matter to me as if you don't like it I will just take it down and keep it in a file for myself. Plus I do like and appreciate some KIND constructive criticism._**


	2. The Problems Begin

After she got home Rouge hopped into the shower, trying to wash away the night's events. She cursed herself as she recalled the events that led up to it.

* * *

 _Rouge stopped by Espio's place early in the morning hope to surprise him. They reached their four year mark the night before and she was hoping to continue the celebration. "Espio! Baby! You home?" She called out looking for him. **Maybe he went out for a bit? He does like to jog.** Looking around and heading to the garage she realized his car was gone. **Maybe he's running some errands?** She made herself comfortable and thought she'd wait for him. Not too much time had passed before she heard his car pull back in. Excitedly she ran to the window only to be disappointed by the sight._

 _After Espio got out of the car he went to the other side opening the door. A female echidna stepped out giggling. They kissed and walked back up to the front door excitedly. As they opened the door their playful flirting stopped as Espio was greeted by Rouge._

 _Tapping her foot and glaring at him her rage grew. "You know I thought I would drop by and surprise you, but I guess you had other plans." She looked from him to the girl with him._

 _"Who is she?" The echidna asked Espio quietly. She looked at the two and started to understand a little bit of what was going on._

 _Nervously Espio approached her. "Shade this is Rouge... Rouge this is Shade... My um..."_

 _"Your side chick?" Rouge hissed annoyed. She walked passed him to Shade. "Sorry girly, but you've been played."_

 _Feeling awful Shade backed away from him. "So I guess that means you're his girlfriend?" She looked to him to confirm._

 _Patting her shoulder and then spreading her wings she looked to Shade. "No Honey, that makes me his ex-girlfriend!" She hissed the last part before flying off._

 _She needed to blow off steam and calm down. So she stopped by a liquor store and drank half a bottle of wine before deciding to go to Knuckles for some support. She showed up at his place and he was everything she needed him to be. He let her in and calmed her down. After a bit he pulled out their favorite brandy and they talked about their exes and problems into the night. At some point they got drunk off their asses and kissed. That kiss soon turned into a makeout session and then into a night of passion._

* * *

Stepping out of the shower she cleared her mind. Deciding to text him and say sorry for leaving she left it at that. If she were going to talk to him she was going to need some time. Time that she wasn't granted.

Two hours later Knuckles had woken up and received her texts. He called her almost immediately. Rouge looked at her phone with guilt and fear. She didn't know what to do.

 **What am I doing?** Knuckles waited as the phone rang. **Maybe she won't pick up. Maybe I'm wrong about last night. Maybe...** He kept hoping she wouldn't pick up and that if she did she would say nothing happened. He had had a lot to drink so everything was fuzzy to him still.

She thought about not picking it up, but in the end thought it better to. "Hello?" There was moment of silence before anyone spoke.

"Hey it's Knuckles. Sorry I didn't respond to you I just got up and looked at your texts." That's all he managed to say without stuttering.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips as he didn't bring the topic up. "That's okay." For a moment she considered pretending like it never happened, but pushed the thought aside. She knew she couldn't ignore it. "Listen, Knux, about last night... I..." She didn't know what to say. "I think it would be best if we spent some time apart. I'm a little confused at the moment and just need some space. Is that okay?" It may not have been what she really wanted, but she felt it was for the best.

"Yeah. That's fine. I understand." His assumption from before was right. After he got off the phone with her he called up Amy. If there was anyone he could talk to that would understand it was her. She had been there for him in the past and she never judged him.

* * *

 ** _Well that was that. Sorry for the delay guys. I accidentally deleted this chapter and had to re-write it from memory. :/_**


	3. About Last Night

"Knuckles! It's Amy, open up!" The pink hedgehog knocked on his door. He opened it up and let her in. "So what is it you need my help with?" She was beaming, excited that she was getting a chance to help out.

Knuckles didn't know where to start so he started from the beginning. "This is going to sound weird, but Rouge and I have been hanging out for a long time. I lost a bet to her so I took her out drinking. At first we were just drinking buddies, but then she became sort of like a best friend." He could see Amy's eyes light up in excitement. "We had this routine for a while of hanging out, drinking and watching movies or the game and what not. After a while we ended up getting really close. We've even kissed, granted it was strictly on the cheek while we were sober." He could tell Amy knew where this was going by the way she was leaning in, wanting to hear more. "Anyways, we hadn't done anything like that in a while because she was dating Espio and didn't want to give him the wrong idea about us. Yesterday when she went to see him though she caught him with another girl. She came here and I guess we must have drank too much..." He didn't want to go on, but knew he needed help. "Amy I slept with her I don't know what to do!"

It took her a second to wrap her mind around what her friend was going through. "Wow. You've really dug yourself into a big mess. Rule number one! When a girl is emotionally distressed don't let her drink. Rule number two! If she still manages to drink or you let her do so, do NOT join her. I'm still a little fuzzy on the problem at hand here. Is she mad at you? Or did you not like her that way?" Amy kept listing possible complications.

"My problem is I... I think... I love her..." After saying it aloud the full weight of his situation hit him. "I think I just royally screwed my relationship with her up..." Knuckles admitted feeling like a complete fool.

Amy stared at him with wide eyes only managing to mumble a mere 'oh'.

* * *

While Amy was with Knuckles trying to figure out how to help him, across town Blaze was doing the same thing for Rouge. The poor bat came in and was freaking out about the events. She hadn't even gotten over Espio yet and she had slept with one of her best friends! Blaze poured some tea and handed it to her, waiting for her to calm down.

Rouge drank her tea silently, trying to gather her thoughts together. "I really messed up didn't I?" Rouge asked though it was more of a rhetorical question. She hung her head in shame and her ears became flat. "I know we joke around all the time, but that's all they were! Jokes! Blaze ya gotta help me! I don't know what to do!"

Blaze sat next to her and put her arms around her. "Shhh. It'll be okay. Let's just focus on one thing at a time. Now, did you guys talk at all after?" She watched as Rouge nodded. "Did he sound upset about it?"

 **Did he sound upset?** Rouge had to think about it really hard. "No. His tone sounded rather normal actually." For a second she was relieved, but something in the back of her mind didn't like that he was casual with their conversation. "Should I just look at it like it was a one-night stand?"

Blaze stopped her friend before a whole list of questions could flow out of her mouth. "First of all, if he isn't mad then don't worry, there's no problem. Just give yourself some time to calm down. Second of all... How was it?" A devilish grin grew upon the purple cat's face.

"E-excuse me?!" Rouge blushed hard. Blaze asked again, almost interrogating her for the details. "Well... From what I recall it was actually... pretty great." She looked into her cup of tea as she began to tell her furry friend the details of her drunk encounter.

* * *

 _After her drunken kiss Knuckles pulled her back in for more. She accepted the rough lips of the echidna without hesitation. His arms wrapped around her, slowly landing his hands on her hips. He trailed kisses down her jawline to her neck. Her head tilted back as a crimson blush made its way across her face. He flipped them over and stared deeply into her eyes before crashing his lips onto hers again and penetrating her mouth with his tongue._

 _It wasn't long before they were pulling each other's clothes off as they kissed. Rouge was down to just her bra and thong by the time they were in the hallway. Knuckles, who was in only his boxers by this point, picked her up. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist and let her arms drape around his neck as their kisses became more passionate. He carried her to the bedroom and pinned her to the bed, grinding against her as he trailed kisses down her body._

 _Rouge let her hands fall to the bed as her back arched from the pleasure. She gently brought his face back up to her and brought him into another tongue tying kiss. Using her arms to support her she pushed herself up and was able to get Knuckles on his back. She straddled him and took off her bra revealing two large mounds to him. She gasped as he took one into his mouth and caressed the other. They continued like this for a little while longer until they couldn't take it anymore. They stripped themselves of their underwear and immediately went at it._

* * *

A very crimson Rouge sat on the couch and lied, claiming she didn't remember anything else after that. Blaze just huffed as she wanted to hear more about this crazy time her friend had. The two continued their talk of 'what if' this and 'what if' that.

The amount of questions and concerns coming from Rouge almost drove Blaze over the wall. "SHUSH!" Blaze covered her ears with her hands. "Look, you won't know anything until you see him again! So if I were you, I'd just act natural and pretend like it never even happened. If he wants to talk about it then talk about it! Other than that there's not much for you to do other than chill out." She got up and started getting some food.

"I don't know if I can be my normal self anymore. I mean, we crossed the line. I had sex with him and I don't even know how I feel about him! I never would have done that had I been sober." Rouge was again flustered by her actions the previous night.

Letting out an annoyed sigh Blaze turned on her heel and faced her friend. "Well obviously you must feel something for the guy! I don't care how drunk you are, you never have sex with some you don't like or are at least attracted to." She watched as Rouge blinked, contemplating what she just said.

 **Do I... like Knuckles?**

* * *

 ** _Another chapter 'Rebooted'. ... Several more to go!_**


	4. We Meet Again

After that day Rouge spent the whole next week avoiding Knuckles and getting over her breakup with Espio. Thankfully Knuckles had been giving her the space she had asked for, where Espio had been calling her non-stop. Eventually she took her phone off the hook and blocked his number. Needing some air she went out to spread her wings.

She flew over to one of her favorite parks, seeing that a fair was going on. It was fun for a while until she spotted a familiar purple chameleon. Rouge watched from behind a stand as Espio tried calling her again. **If he wanted me back so badly he shouldn't have cheated in the first place! It's gonna take a lot more than that to get me back.** She entertained herself with the thought of all the different things he'd have to do to get her back.

Once Espio finished leaving yet another message he hung up and walked back around the corner. Rouge followed from a distance to find him yet again with another girl. She was fuming with anger at this point. **FORGET THAT! HE'S NEVER GETTING ME BACK!** Rouge walked over to him while they kissed, tapping him on the shoulder.

Espio's eyes widened seeing Rouge before him. The next thing he saw was a flash of white followed by a stinging sensation on his left cheek. He thought he'd be able to get her back and then dump his other girl, but Rouge had found him before he could ever get the chance to be with her again.

"What do you take me for? A fool? I may have given you a chance before, but clearly you're nothing but a lousy cheat!" Rouge screamed at him drawing attention to them. Some passersby took out their phones to take pictures and record the scene. Rouge couldn't believe him and was just done with him. She swiped his girlfriend's drink and threw it on him. "I don't wanna see you or hear from you ever again! You got me?" Hands on her hips she looked at him with unrelenting anger. "As for you girly, I'd get yourself a new boyfriend if I were you. All he does is cheat!" With that she turned around and stormed away from the shocked Espio.

* * *

She flew off to a tree in a quieter part of the park. Never in her life had she ever been so pissed off. After some much needed peace and quiet she started to doze off only to be startled by someone calling her name. **Now what!?**

"Rouge is that you?" It was Knuckles. She flew down in front of him both angry and shocked. "Are you okay? If you want I can go, I wasn't trying to disturb you." He apologized not wanting to anger her or make her avoid him even more.

Harsh eyes softened with a sigh. She lowered her ears and bit her lip. **What do I say? Should I say anything?**

"Did something happen?" He wanted to hug her and tell her whatever it may be, she'd get through it and be okay. He refrained though.

It was hard not to talk to him. She missed her friend so much and wanted badly to talk to him again. "No you don't have to go. I'm just angry about something." Her temper started to come back as she thought of Espio.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow looking at her. He was relieved though that he wasn't the problem. "Wanna go walk around the fair and we can talk about it?"

Rouge cringed at the thought of seeing him again and made a fist. "No. Let's go somewhere else." She needed to get as far away from that chameleon as possible before she whaled on him. She imagined how the next time she would come face to face with him she might end up in jail.

* * *

The two went around the corner and got some pizza. It relaxed Rouge to be away from the park. Knuckles came back with some sodas for them. Part of him was nervous the other part was just happy she was talking to him again.

Rouge thanked him for the soda as he sat back down across from her. "Sorry for making you leave. What were you there for anyways?" She took a sip waiting for his answer.

"Vanilla wanted me to drop Cream off for her. She promised she could go and hangout with her friends, but she was busy and asked me to give her a ride there. What about you?" When she bit down on her straw Knuckles started to regret asking.

Letting go of the straw she looked out the window, a hand holding her head up. "Espio kept calling me trying to apologize and get back with me. Sent me roses and everything. I ended up unplugging my phone and blocking his number on my cell." She tightened her grip on her cup and shut her eyes. "I was going to just kick it at the park, but there was a fair going on. I saw him and decided to see what he was up to. He called my phone leaving another 'Baby I miss you, take me back' message." She mocked him making both of them laugh. "When he hung I followed him. I was considering taking him back until I caught him making out with another girl. The idiot thought he could have me with another girl on the side. I got pissed and gave him a piece of my mind."

They talked and laughed like they always had. Making fun of their exes and saying what they would do if they saw them on the street again. Both of them had been missing the companionship of the other. The relief of seeing each other almost made them forget what had happened between them. Almost.

It was Knuckles though who brought it back up this time. "Hey, listen. I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened, but I do." His heart sank a little when he saw her avert her eyes from his. "I know you've been avoiding me because of it, but it kind of sucks you know? I don't want to pressure you into anything, but maybe we could start hanging out again, just maybe without alcohol." He took a drink of his soda as silence fell upon them. "We could get pizza and soda instead from now on!" He forced a chuckled making her smile.

She felt guilty when he mentioned how she'd been avoiding him. She hadn't meant to make things more awkward than they already were. After thinking it over she agreed. She wanted desperately to save whatever she could of their friendship.

* * *

 _ **Hope you're enjoying!**_


	5. Disturbing The Peace

Things had smoothed over between the two. It took a few weeks, but they were finally able to get back to 'normal'. Rouge had moved on from Espio to Manic, Sonic's brother. Knuckles seemed to be unphased by this development and kept on being there for her. The only ones who knew about the relationship the two shared were Amy and Blaze, both of whom were worried about the situation.

* * *

Amy had just finished some shopping when she spotted Knuckles and Vector. "Hey! Knuckles!" She called out and waved to him.

Knuckles looked to her and waved. "Hey Vec, I'll catch up with you another time." He said bye to the crocodile and caught up with Amy. "What's up Amy? Shopping?" He noted the various bags she was carrying.

She smiled confirming his assumption. "Yeah I just got a few new shoes and dresses! They were on sale so I thought 'why not'!" Trying not to get herself caught up in chit chat about clothing she cleared her throat. "So, how have you been doing?"

"I'm doing good. Work has been a bit of pain, but I've been good." He put his hands behind his head as they walked. "Those beams have been killing my back." He stretched making everything crack.

Shivering at the sound Amy shook her head. "That's... good? How are things with you and Rouge?" She kept a close eye on his reaction.

Staring straight ahead he shrugged. "We've been good. Things have gone back to the way they were. She's with Manic now though. Well that and we're not drinking around each other anymore, just soda." He let his hands fall to his pockets as they walked to her cab.

"Did you ever tell her?" She could tell he didn't like how things were.

Knuckles ignored her for a few minutes before looking to the ground. "No. I uh, I didn't get a chance to. I was going to tell her two weeks ago, but instead of coming over for the night she went out with Manic on a date and well... yeah. I'm happy for her though. She seems genuinely happy. Manic treats her well. I'm not going to get in the way with that." His gaze shifted to her as they reached the cab.

It pained her not to be able to help him. "I'm sorry things didn't get a chance to work out. I'm sure you'll find the right girl someday. If you ever need to talk you've got my number. Bye Knuckles." She gave him a hug and waved to him as the cab drove off.

He stood there watching as the cab faded into the distance. "I already found her... But there's no way I can be with her."

* * *

"BLAZE! WHERE ARE MY PUMPS?!" Rouge called from the upper floor. She was throwing clothes about looking for her heels.

Blaze sighed and walked out of her line of sight to another room. She rummaged under a pile of coats and bags and pulled out a pair of blue pumps.

"Blaze? Where'd you go?" The bat came down the stairs looking for her friend.

"I'm over here. Are these what you were looking for?" Blaze held up the shoes. Rolling her eyes she handed them over.

Rouge took them and put them on. "Thanks! You're a life saver! Whatever would I do without you?" She was getting ready to go out on her date.

Blaze sighed and walked towards the kitchen. "Oh, I don't know, make rash decisions maybe?"

For the first time that day she had taken notice to what her furry purple friend was saying. "Do you have a problem with me?" Ever since she had started dating Manic she had noticed Blaze was being a bit more irritable.

Annoyed and not wanting to argue she waved her hand. Rouge wouldn't have it though and persisted. Giving up she put down her glass on the counter and crossed her arms.

"Look Rouge, you didn't give things enough time. For two years you dated Espio. For about four times as long you had been best friends with Knuckles. Suddenly you break up, you have drunk sex with Knuckles, you freak out about it and don't talk to him for a week. Now you're saying only a few weeks later you two are totally fine and you feel stable enough to move on? I'm worried about you Rouge. Five weeks ago you didn't even know how you felt about him! Hell you didn't even feel anything towards Manic! You're just rebounding and it's not healthy. You're gonna be heartbroken again. I don't wanna see that happen." She tried to take a step towards her and hug her, but stopped. "Rouge... I-"

Tears filled her eyes, but the look she had was not of sadness. "I didn't ask you to judge my love life! You're not my mother so don't act like you are, thinking you know what's best for me and acting like you know how I feel and what's going on!" She whacked her hand away and turned around. "I don't have time for this. I have a date with Manic. I'll come by in the morning and get my things. All I wanted was a few days to hangout with my friend and all you have done is judge me." With that she grabbed her purse and took off out the door.

"Oh Rouge... please don't do anything stupid." Blaze shut the door and went back to finish her drink and watch some tv.

* * *

Manic took Rouge out to a high class restaurant. They were having a lovely evening until she seemed to space out while he was talking to her.

Waving a hand in front of her face with no response he took her hands in his. "Are you okay? You're crying and you seem a little spaced out." He began worrying about her and tried wiping her tears away only to make her jump. "I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

She hadn't meant to jump like that or to cry or space out. "N-no! No, of course not." She shook her head and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry I'm just tired. It's been a long day. I think maybe I should just go home and rest." She offered him a smile, though it was weak.

Not wanting to cause her distress he nodded in understanding and offered to take her home. She declined his offer and walked out. Halfway down the block she started feeling sick.

 **Oh no. Not now. Need to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale... Oh god!** Holding herself up against the closest building she threw up. "Damn martini!" She threw up a bit more before looking through her purse. **Wallet. Wallet. Wallet.** Her efforts seemed futile as she found nothing. "Shit..." She forgot it back in the restaurant. Not wanting to go back and see Manic she took out her cell phone.

It rang a few times before the person on the other line picked up. "Hello... Rouge you there?"

She squeezed the phone holding her breath then spoke up. "Yeah I'm here. Can I ask a favor of you?" She bit her lip unsure.

"Yeah, anything. What do you need?" The voice was cool and relaxed.

Letting herself take some fresh air in she continued. "Can you pick me up? I'm not feeling well enough to fly home. I also seem to have lost my wallet and can't get a cab." She didn't want to ask, but she really didn't have many other options.

"Sure thing, I'll be right over just text me your location." With that they hung up.

Fifteen minutes later a black truck pulled up. Recognizing the vehicle Rouge hopped into the passenger side. They drove in silence for the whole ride back to her home. They sat in the truck for a bit after it was parked.

Rouge looked over to her left. She opened her mouth to speak, but passed out instead.

* * *

Strong hands squeezed out cold water from a cloth and placed it on the forehead of the white bat. Stirring for a moment cerulean eyes blinked open seeing a ceiling. Sitting up it was clear they were no longer in the truck.

"Hey sleepy head. So you finally wake up?" The voice came from the side of the bed.

Rouge looked over to see Knuckles smiling at her. "When did I get into the house?" She remembered getting in the car and then feeling sick again.

Knuckles stood up and took the cloth away."You passed out as soon as we got here. I thought you were tired, but when I picked you up I got a closer look at you. You should see yourself. You look like hell." He watched her for a reaction.

"Why you little-" Rouge smacked him in the back of the head. "Of course I look like shit! I'm sick!" She fumed and started ranting about how all men are the same - thoughtless.

He laughed a bit at her attitude. "Hey you're the one that said you look like shit, not me. I said hell and from what I've heard it can be pretty hot." He didn't think about what he had said until after it slipped out.

"What did you say?" Rouge was caught completely off guard. **Did he just call me hot?**

Clearing his throat and blushing he tried to change the subject. "So how was the date? You said you guys were going out for dinner right? How'd it go, you have fun?" This didn't make him feel any better, but it took off some of the pressure.

Rouge looked at him with a questioning look. "It was good. I think. I don't know." She raised a hand to her forehead. "I completely spaced out. I don't know what came over me. I didn't feel well and cut it short. I feel bad about it. But I couldn't think straight. Whether it was because of the martini or my fight with Blaze I don't know." Her ears flattened thinking about the fight.

 **Finally! A topic that won't make things awkward!** "What did you fight with her about? You guys mix your things up again?" He was used to solving problems between the two and figured this time was no different.

Her ears flattened even more and she looked away, not really wanting to tell him. "It was stupid. She was trying to help me out, but instead of listening to her I got mad and told her to stop pretending like she knows me. I was so rude to her." Tears slowly started to form in her eyes. She really did hate fighting with her.

"Well maybe she's right. Or maybe you both are. What did she say?" He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to get her to look at him.

Closing her eyes tightly and biting her lip she began facing him. "She- She said I was going way too fast. That I should slow down. How Manic is just a rebound and that I'm going to be heart broken..." She faced him straight on and opened her eyes. "She also said how I'm not really fine with what happened between us and how I don't even know how I feel about you, that I shouldn't be moving on until I do... At least that's what she was suggesting... she tried telling me that a couple weeks ago, but I didn't listen then either... I think it's because she's right..." Her eyes trailed to the floor.

Knuckles listened shocked at what she was saying. She wasn't okay with how things were between them. He didn't know if that meant she wanted them to be more or if she didn't want to see him anymore. She also didn't really like Manic in that way. Taking her hands he knew this was his only chance. He had to tell her now. He needed to let her know how he felt about her and he needed to know what her response would be.

With crimson cheeks and nervousness he began to address her. "I have something to tell you. I don't know how you're going to take it or how this will affect things, but I need to tell you this. For a few years now, you've been my best friend. You've done so much for me and we've spent so much time together and made so many great memories. I don't want to lose the friendship we have." He swallowed hard before continuing. "However, after that night, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, about us. I was terrified of losing you as a friend. But that wasn't all. I've liked you for a long time Rouge. Then that happened and I got so scared. I didn't say anything before because I didn't want you to think I just wanted sex. I've liked you long before that and I still do."

Frozen, she didn't know what to do. "Knuckles... w-what are you saying?" She knew, but she couldn't believe it. Her heart was pounding so hard she almost wanted to stop him, thinking it might not explode if he didn't speak.

"I'm saying... I love you. I love you and I want... I want to know if you'll go out with me?" He caressed her cheek and gave her a light kiss on the lips before pulling away.

Breathless and confused Rouge was at a loss for words. **Did he just ask me out?! No way! This didn't just happen! No! Oh god...** Rouge hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom slamming the door shut and locking it. She threw up a few times and just sat there on the other side of the door listening to Knuckles.

"I'm sorry I didn't..." Knuckles picked his keys up off the nightstand and stood up. "I understand. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I'll be going now. You have my number if you ever want to talk." With that he walked out, leaving her by herself.

* * *

 ** _Still going, the change is coming soon though._**


	6. Call The Doctor

Still sitting in the bathroom Rouge tried to make sense of everything that had just happened. Knuckles just confessed to her. Rouge didn't know what to do with herself. She was sick and overwhelmed to the point where she eventually passed out.

* * *

It was about midday when Blaze pulled up to Rouge's house. She carried the bag of all her things to the door and knocked. "Hey Rouge! It's me, open up!" She waited a bit before pulling out a key Rouge gave her a while back. Once she got inside she shut the door and brought the bag to her room. Looking at the mess she knew Rouge was still home. It was that or she was kidnapped in her sleep.

As she turned around to leave she noticed the door was shut. She figured Rouge was in the bathroom and started talking to her. It took her five minutes of apologizing to her and letting her know she brought her thing back before the silence got to her. Knocking on the door and calling her name she waited. Silence. She began fearing that she really was kidnapped. Checking to confirm her fears she opened the door, finding a worse sight before her.

"Rouge? Rouge! Wake up!" **No, no, no, no! Come on! Wake up!** She checked her pulse noting that she still had one. "Come on Batty, stay with me!" She propped one arm around her shoulder and dragged her to the car. Running to the other side of the car and turning her blue tooth on she started her car and called 911.

"911 what is-" The voice never got to finish.

"My name is Blaze. I found my friend barely breathing in her bathroom. I can't wake her up. I'm trying to bring her to the hospital as fast as I can. I need someone to meet me there at the ER!" She proceeded to speed to the hospital instructing the woman on the other line.

* * *

Teal eyes blinked seeing white. Several lights danced around until they focused and turned into a single light. Cold air blew against the white bat. Shivering she tried to move under the blanket, hurting her arm. She looked down to see an IV stuck into it. "What the hell?" A door shut capturing her attention. "Oh it's you... What happened?"

At the end of the bed was a purple cat. Blaze. She wasn't dressed like she normally was. A light pink t-shirt and pants covered most of her. On top of that she had on a long white coat and was holding a check board. "Rouge, do you know where you are?" She finally spoke up.

"In San Diego Zoo." She spat sarcastically, not in the mood for stupid questions. "I know I'm in the hospital. I'm confused not dumb. There is a difference. Now what happened. And isn't a Sunday? Why are you working?" She knew Blaze was a doctor, but she also knew that she had weekends off.

Blaze sighed. "You're right and it's not Sunday, it's Monday. I dropped by this afternoon to give you your stuff and apologize because you never showed up this morning. When I found you, you were on your bathroom floor barely breathing and there was vomit everywhere. You gave me a heart attack you know! I stayed with you as long as I could. Work started about two hours ago for me. I convinced them to let me be the one to care for you."

Rouge adverted her gaze downward and flattened her ears. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm all over the place. It must be all the stress. Blaze you were right." She looked back up at her with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that the other night. That's all I could think about when I was with Manic. It bothered me so much. He's nice and all, but I don't love him."

Sitting down on the bed next to her friend, Blaze put her arm on her back and started to rub it. "Shhh. It's okay. Look, I was out of line, but I can't help it. I worry about you so much. You're my best friend and I'd hate to see you get hurt again. That's why I was mad. I didn't really mean all those things I said about you rebounding and all." She tried to calm her down.

"You were right though. But there's more. I couldn't stay with everything on my mind, so I left our date. I got sick after a bit and tried to call a cab, but get this, I forgot my wallet on the table." She gave a halfhearted chuckle. "I called Knuckles and he picked me up. I was so tired I fell asleep on the way home. I must have been running a real fever because he carried me in and was taking care of me. That's not all though! I told him about our argument and everything that was on my mind and how you pointed out that I didn't know how I felt about him. You know what that asshole told me? He told me he loved me and wanted to go out with me!" Rouge laughed a bit.

"Oh my god! Really? That's great!" She was happy for her friend. "Not great?" Blaze was confused as her friend's eyes once again filled with tears.

She sobbed for a bit before calming down. "He kissed me and I threw up. I didn't mean to, but I did. I got so nervous I just hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I didn't even come out after that. I just sat there. I didn't say anything to him, nothing. I waited for him to leave and just... nothing. I guess I passed out after that. But Blaze, I never told him how I felt! He must think I hate him!" She was so angry with herself she didn't know what to do.

Blaze once again tried calming her friend down. "Alright, calm down. Look, you're gonna spend the night with me and we are going to figure this all out okay? If you want, I'll call him over after and you can tell him how you feel. Alright?" She waited for Rouge, who nodded in response. "Alright. I'm gonna go see the results of your tests now okay? After that I'll take you home to grab some things." She gave her a hug and left the room.

Rouge sat quietly in the room waiting for Blaze to return. Looking through the glass out to the hallway she could see her talking to another doctor. She looked angry at them and sent them away. When she turned around Rouge waved to her. Blaze gave her a nervous look and nodded, heading back to the room. When she entered the room she opened her mouth then shut it, not knowing what to say.

"So what's up doc? Do I have the flu? Too much alcohol? A stomach bug?" Rouge laughed trying to lighten up her friend's mood.

"You could say it's something like that... There's going to be a slight change in our plans. I'm going to go get you some medications on the way home. It'll be up to you if you want to take them..." She grew silent not sure what to say.

Becoming nervous Rouge started fidgeting. "Is everything okay? How bad is it? Am I gonna be okay?" She was really worried now.

She held on to the clip board with the results. She told her what they were and gave her a minute to herself while she filled out papers.

Rouge stared blankly at them. "I'm..." Tears filled her eyes and she crumpled the paper.

* * *

 ** _Another chapter down! One more to got before things change drastically._**


	7. Into The Chaos

After that day at the hospital Rouge had locked herself away in the spare room at Blaze's house. Feeling awful about it, she tried to break up with Manic. She couldn't so she told him instead that she needed time alone, though he still checked in on her now and then. Blaze had gone out and gotten a few different medications for her. She had been taking one everyday, but kept the others around just in case she changed her mind. Rouge didn't know what to do. There were too many possibilities and only one outcome that she wanted.

* * *

A couple of days had passed since Knuckles had confessed his feelings for Rouge. He was beating himself up over it for being so stupid. "I'm telling you, she hates me now! I ruined everything!" Knuckles was at Amy's place with Tails.

Amy brought in some tea and set it down on the coffee table. "Here, some tea might do you some good. It'll help to calm the nerves." She handed him a cup and then gave one to Tails. "I'm so sorry that you went through that. Maybe she just needs some time to think about it?" Amy tried to cheer him up.

Tails sipped his tea, listening to the situation. "It sounds like you caught her off guard. Maybe you should have waited a while longer. Especially seeing how she's still with Manic. He doesn't know about this does he? I don't think him or Sonic would be too happy hearing about this." He had meant to help, but after receiving a glare from Amy, realized he wasn't.

Knuckles put the tea down and held his head. "Great! Just what I needed! The big blue idiot getting pissed off at me!" He wasn't very concerned about Manic, he could take him on easily. Sonic on the other hand was always a step ahead of him to the point where he drove Knuckles crazy.

"I guess you're right they would be pretty mad. Sonia might be a bit too. Although I get the feeling she'll be more crushed than anything." Amy was thinking out loud. Snapping her fingers and jumping up she ran to her phone. "That's it!"

Knuckles and Tails just looked at each other getting an uneasy feeling. They listened as Amy talked on the phone in the other room. When she came back smiling they shivered.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest smiling. "Tails! Knuckles! Get ready! You two are going on a double date tonight!" She turned on her heel and head to the other room to make reservations for them.

"WHAT!?" The boys looked in her direction, not sure of what just happened.

* * *

Blaze was out working, leaving Rouge home alone. Manic had been blowing up her phone, asking if she was okay. Finally she texted him back 'no'. She said she wanted to see him and how it was important.

It didn't take long before Manic arrived. He stood outside the door nervously. Knocking once he waited for her to open the door. "Hey I'm here. What's wrong? I tried asking Blaze, but she wouldn't tell me. I've been so worried about you." He gave her a hug and sat down with her on the couch. "Babe?"

Rouge took his hands trying to search for the right words. "I... I need to tell you something." She wasn't sure she wanted to say anything, but he did have a right to know. "When I was with Espio we were... active. All the way up til the day I broke it off." She could see Manic was confused about where this was going. "When we broke up I had been so upset and drank a bit more than I should have and spent the night with Knuckles... Which is why I've spent less time around him..."

Manic was trying to understand what she was saying, but couldn't. "Rouge what are you trying to tell me?" He looked at her, placing a hand on her left cheek.

She didn't know how to say the next part. "I don't want you to be hurt by this, but I need to tell you. When we got together I was still so hurt and confused. I was just trying to move on. I thought everything would be okay if I just acted like nothing ever happened. Now I have you all mixed up in this too. When we... you know... I didn't know anything." She took his hand down and clasped hers in her lap. She couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. "Manic, I'm pregnant."

For a moment he was shocked, then he was happy and then soon thereafter replaced with a worried feeling. It finally sank in. There was no telling who the father was.

Manic held her and calmed her down. Eventually she tired herself out and he carried her to bed. He waited until Blaze came home that night before he left. There was a lot that needed to be done. He had decided that it would be best to let Knuckles know what was going on.

He tried his place first and then Tails's. When he couldn't find him he talked to Amy. Not thinking about it she let him know he was on a date. He didn't want to be wasting anymore time, but he also couldn't just barge into some random restaurant looking for him like a maniac. Instead he called him and left a few messages.

* * *

Knuckles reluctantly went with Amy's plan to help get him over Rouge. He had gotten dressed for a night out on the town. At six O'clock he had gone out and picked up an eager Sonia. She greeted him with a hug and kiss on the cheek. She was cute, he gave her that much, but she was no Rouge.

Waiting for Tails and Cream turned out to be great for Sonia. She took Knuckles' arm and held onto it, making sure he was pressed up against her chest, but not so much that it was obvious what she was doing. "So Knuckles, what's the plan or this evening?" She stared up at him with seductive eyes.

Trying not to shy away from her and instead be nonchalant about it he looked away from her and to the crowd of people. "Well we're supposed to see a movie then go to dinner, but Tails seems to be running late." He looked at his watch and then again to the crowd.

Sonia kept talking, trying to get him to notice her. Now and then he made small talk with her. Hearing someone call his name he felt relieved.

"We're over here!" He waved, seeing Tails and Cream. **Finally!** "What took you guys so long?" He tapped his foot waiting for an answer.

Tails scratched the back of his head as he apologized. "Sorry! We hung out a bit beforehand and lost track of time." He lightly blushed as he looked over to a smiling cream hugging his free arm.

Knuckles shook his head and sighed. "Alright then let's get going. The movie starts soon." He put an arm around Sonia cautiously as they headed for the theater. When they got in he turned his phone on silent so he wouldn't disrupt anyone.

* * *

 _ **Now we're really starting to change here! Hope you like it.**_


	8. Date Night Talks

For the rest of the night Knuckles appeared fine. He hung out with everyone and played his part as a gentleman. Normally things like this would go much better. After being rejected he would hit the bars, grab a girl and have one hell of a time. This time he couldn't though. Everytime he put his arm around Sonia or held her hand all he could think of was Rouge.

Sonia acted like she had been having a good time all night, though she really wasn't. She had liked Knuckles since they were kids. Now here she was on a date with him and he didn't seem the slightest bit interested in her. The whole night she had been dropping hints for him, but to no avail. As they sat in the restaurant waiting for their food she realised he was distracted. His phone had been going off since they got out of the movie. She watched has he took his phone out and started go through it. "That's it! I've had enough!"

Knuckles looked up from his phone and at Sonia. "Sonia?" He became uneasy as she drew attention to them.

Fuming she glared at him. "You have been ignoring me all night! I can't take it anymore!" She got up and before storming out the doors she took his phone.

"Hey!" He got up and apologized to everyone before following her. "Sonia come back!" He looked around outside not seeing her. As he turned to go back in he was caught off guard. "Sonia what-" He was cut off by her crashing her lips on to his.

Sonia held on to him tightly, trying to deepen the kiss. Much to her dismay Knuckles pried her off. Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at the ground. "It's not fair!" She pouted and looked him in the eyes. "I don't understand. Is there something wrong with me that you don't like me? I have been giving you hints all night and yet nothing! I don't understand why you are on a date with me if you don't even like me!"

Feeling guilty he winced at her remarks. "Look I'm sorry. You're right I haven't been being fair to you. I was supposed to be taking you on a date and showing you a good time." He sighed doing his best to push all thoughts of Rouge out of his head. "I didn't mean to make you feel this way. You're a great girl and anyone who doesn't see that is stupid." He wiped away her tears, cheering her up a bit. "I know tonight didn't go as planned so how does this sound? I'll text Tails and let him know we won't be coming back then you and me can go on a real date. I'll take you anywhere you want."

Agreeing she took his phone out of her purse. Hesitating to give it back to him she held on to it a moment longer. "You promise you won't be distracted anymore? You'll keep your phone off this time and actually pay attention to me?" She looked up at him with glossy eyes.

"I promise." After being handed back his phone he texted Tails then shut it off. "Now where is it you would like to go?" He kissed her cheek and put an arm around her.

* * *

 ** _Well now the change starts! :3 Sorry for any misrepresentation of characters, but remember this is a fanfic._**


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